Editor's Note

The Charge

Mother of mercy, I don't speak Japanese!

The Case

Ah, for the days when Saturday Night Live could still make people
laugh.

Remember those days? Ratings were high, writers were fresh and innovative,
and the cast was almost, but not quite, as funny as the golden original cast
days. Things were great, for a while. For my money, the best cast the show ever
saw was the 1990-1995 season run, hands down. 1996 rolled around, and suddenly
everything felt…passé.

Yes, I like Chris Farley. Always have. Lots of people hate him. To me, those
people who dislike Tommy Boy suck
outright, and that is all there is to it. After he passed away, SNL
quickly aired an "In Memory Of…" episode, introduced by longtime
compatriot Tim Meadows, highlighting some of the funniest moments of Farley's
five-year run on the show. It was a classic piece of buffoonery, and to this
day, I still sport a damaged, broken VHS (remember those?) copy of this entire
broadcast, hastily recorded at the last possible second.

It has been watched many, many times. So, understandably, I was excited to
get my hands on a copy of Saturday Night Live: The Best Of Chris Farley.
Gleeful, I threw the disc in, and settled down.

As I watched this DVD, immediately I realized something was dreadfully
wrong. This DVD is an approximation of the "In Memory Of…"
episode, featuring the majority of the same skits in the same order—except
that certain sequences were completely missing. Gone was the touching opening
monologue by Meadows, for one, as well as the heart wrenching Phil Hartman-sung
number closing the episode. And that was only the tip of the iceberg.

For some reason, certain segments (apparently, the hilarious ones) have been
left out completely, replaced with others (apparently, terrible sucky ones). The
sidesplitting "Little Women"-esque sequence where they fall through
the ice and start cursing and make a pact with the devil? Gone. Also, the
"Herlihy Boy" skit is missing, as well as the fake commercial for
"Schmitt's Gay Beer," and numerous other smaller segments. In general,
the substituted skits are sub-par, such as the horribly dreadful "Focus on
Beauty II" segment, which makes me want to chew glass.

Why such a ghastly thing has been done, I may never fully understand. Even
if Lorne Michaels himself came to my house, and sat down with the proposal,
outlining the major changes and why they were fiscally viable vis-à-vis the
changing demographic, I would still tell him to shove it.

The problem with these "Best Of…" DVD sets is that nobody
hires me as a consultant. Trying to understand why they would cut the
"Herlihy Boy" sequence, but keep the Sandler-driven "Lunch Lady
Land" musical act, gives me a stabbing pain in my brain that tells me to go
light fires.

Of course, this DVD is far from a disaster. The majority of the material is
still intact, and the modified set is not without its gems. The "Matt
Foley, Motivational Speaker" bits are present, and are always fun
(especially how hard David Spade tries not to pee his pants as Farley does his
routine), as well as the "Hidden Camera Commercials" skit (a personal
favorite). And, of course, it does have the Japanese game show skit, which could
be one of the best SNL one-time skits ever conceived.

This DVD is a Lions Gate re-release of a previous Trimark Home Video
version, and while the supplemental content does differs slightly, it comes not
even close to warranting an upgrade. These new extras include the inclusion of
two television appearances from Conan and Leno, which are quite good, and an
overly sentimental family album sequence supporting the Chris Farley Foundation
(an anti-drug association) is the only reference to the actor's passing on the
disc. The rest of the features include an unfunny dress sketch and a lukewarm
montage of outtakes.

Nothing to get excited about, which is a shame; with the main feature
running a measly 61 minutes, the DVD certainly has the room for the extra
material (as well as those missing segments!).

The DVD quality is good, I must say—the skits look quite well
presented, with good levels of contrast and detail, and the sound is full and
pumped and strongly represented. Nothing to write home about, but it's certainly
a good, reasonable offering, and the show certainly never looked or sounded this
good on TV.

Perhaps my love of the original material has biased my opinion somewhat. I
can still say that this is a funny DVD, though noticeably less funny, given the
dropped content.

I always felt Farley was a misunderstood comic. He is the stereotypical fat
buffoon, and sure, he does a lot of falling through tables, crashing through
windows, doing cartwheels, and the like. And I admit, there is a comedic appeal
to see a giant fat guy tumbling through wooden props and fall on his face. But
there is more to it than that.

The true beauty of Chris Farley, for those who doubt his comedic skill, is
the reactions of the seasoned veterans that surround him during the show. These
reactions from cast members reveal Farley's true brilliance; the comics who have
to work with him day in and day out, and rehearse the same jokes for weeks and
weeks, have the hardest time keeping their composure. They barely hold it
together. The most satisfying sequences on this DVD are the sequences where
Farley flies around, doing his shtick, and the rest of the cast have to visibly
turn away from the character to stop from laughing hysterically.

I wish this DVD did a better job of showcasing Farley in his glory. In a
five-year career on the show, Farley was much funnier than this. The
segment selection is questionable at best, and while this DVD is amusing, it is
merely a scratch on a gigantic, cartwheeling surface.

But boy, the man sure did a mean Tom Arnold impression.

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